Cancer-Stem-Cell Phenotype-Guided Discovery of a Microbiota-Inspired Synthetic Compound Targeting NPM1 for Leukemia.

The human microbiota plays an important role in human health and disease, through the secretion of metabolites that regulate key biological functions. We propose that microbiota metabolites represent an unexplored chemical space of small drug-like molecules in the search of new hits for drug discovery. Here, we describe the generation of a set of complex chemotypes inspired on selected microbiota metabolites, which have been synthesized using asymmetric organocatalytic reactions. Following a primary screening in CSC models, we identified the novel compound UCM-13369 (4b) whose cytotoxicity was mediated by NPM1. This protein is one of the most frequent mutations of AML, and NPM1-mutated AML is recognized by the WHO as a distinct hematopoietic malignancy. UCM-13369 inhibits NPM1 expression, downregulates the pathway associated with mutant NPM1 C+, and specifically recognizes the C-end DNA-binding domain of NPM1 C+, avoiding the nucleus-cytoplasm translocation involved in the AML tumorological process. The new NPM1 inhibitor triggers apoptosis in AML cell lines and primary cells from AML patients and reduces tumor infiltration in a mouse model of AML with NPM1 C+ mutation. The disclosed phenotype-guided discovery of UCM-13369, a novel small molecule inspired on microbiota metabolites, confirms that CSC death induced by NPM1 inhibition represents a promising therapeutic opportunity for NPM1-mutated AML, a high-mortality disease.

NiI Catalyzes the Regioselective Cross-Coupling of Alkylzinc Halides and Propargyl Bromides to Allenes.

We describe the unprecedented formation of allenes by Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling of propargyl bromides with alkylzinc halides. The reaction regioselectivity is complementary to the previously reported formation of propargyl-coupled compounds. Experiments support the formation of NiI complexes as the active species and the participation of radical intermediates. Kinetic studies showed that the reaction is first order with respect to the electrophile, zero-order with respect to the nucleophile (fast transmetalation), and one-half order with respect to the metal catalyst. Mechanistic studies support a bimetallic NiI -based pathway that involves fast homolytic cleavage of the C-Br bond by an alkyl-NiI complex, followed by radical coordination to NiI that determines the observed regioselectivity.